Tracing the foreshore promenade of Sydney Harbour from the Sydney Opera House to Woolloomooloo, the vast Royal Botanic Garden and its famous views is easily the city’s most picturesque garden. Established in 1816, the garden forms part of Australia’s oldest science institution and its 30 hectares are home to a 27,000-strong collection of native and international plants. Explore the garden’s meandering paths on your own or book a tour. Guided walks take place daily, as well as an Aboriginal heritage tour, plus a rotating calendar of events in The Calyx venue.

With its luxuriant lawns and wooded wetlands, the 369-hectare Centennial Parklands in Sydney’s East is known as ‘the lungs of the city’. It’s a popular spot for picnics, exercising, weddings and horse riding. The Ian Potter Wild Play Garden is a favourite for kids with its immersive space of bamboo forest, free-form timber climbing frames and waterways. The flat, paved road that follows the perimeter of the park makes it an ideal destination for cycling. BYO bike or hire two wheelers, tandems or family-sized pedal cars from Centennial Park Cycles.

Discover a pocket of tranquillity in Darling Harbour at the Chinese Garden of Friendship. High walls decorated with ornate grilles and tiled eaves surround this city oasis full of pretty stone paths through lush gardens, bridges over burbling streams and elaborate sculptures. At the centre is a waterfall and koi pond. Stop for a rest in one of the lovely pavilions or climb the path to the elaborate pagoda that overlooks the gardens. The space is ideal for kids as well – hidden among the foliage are the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac. Or go water-dragon-spotting – the large lizards sun themselves on the rocks before sliding into the water for a swim.

Hyde Park is right in the centre of the city, a lovely pocket of green surrounded by the heritage buildings, towering high rises and busy streets of Sydney's CBD. The paths, shaded by a canopy of fig trees, have benches to pause for a quiet moment and there’s also plenty of history to take in. At one end of the park is the dramatic Archibald Memorial Fountain and at the other end is the Pool of Reflection, the Anzac Memorial and bronze sculpture Sacrifice.

Wendy Whiteley’s Secret Garden is a quiet, verdant patch in Lavender Bay where you can find a secluded place to listen to a lilting soundtrack of birdsong. Meandering paths lead visitors between camphor laurel trees, variegated bamboo and Bangalow palms, but the true centrepiece of this magnificent space is the massive Moreton Bay fig, its far-reaching branches offering plenty of shady spots to sit. Tucked behind Luna Park, the garden is a living artwork designed by Wendy Whiteley, wife and muse of late Australian artist Brett Whiteley.

Barangaroo Reserve spans six hectares of harbour foreshore with wide pathways for cycling and walking starting at the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The harbour views are unbeatable with plenty of grassy spots to stop for a picnic with a view, plus smooth trails and a harbour swimming pool at Marrinawi Cove. Climb to Stargazer Lawn for the best views across the gardens and harbour, or follow Wulugul Walk linking Walsh Bay to Darling Harbour. The gardens pay tribute to the area’s history, planted with 75,000 native trees and shrubs to replicate the foliage that would have filled the area before colonisation. Learn more about Barangaroo’s significance to the local Aboriginal population on an Aboriginal Cultural Tour, or sign the kids up for the Bush Buji experience which teaches culture, songs and stories.

The heritage-listed Paddington Reservoir Gardens are a sunken garden built in a 19th-century water reservoir. With its brick archways, iron beams and stone pillars, the beautiful space gives the feeling of walking through ancient Roman ruins. Before visiting the gardens, stop by Paddington Alimentari for a selection of takeaway antipasti, then walk the wide timber boardwalk through subtropical plants to find the perfect spot for a picnic.

Sydney Park in Alexandria covers 40 hectares of green space in a former Inner West brickworks. The sprawling parklands is home to a skate park, bike track for young kids, an adventure track, multiple playgrounds and wetlands. Popular for families and dog walkers, the park is also a lovely spot to watch the sun set over the city. Takeaway lunch from one of Newtown or St Peters’ many cafes and picnic on the picturesque grassy slopes.

Take a ferry across Sydney Harbour to Neutral Bay and you’ll find May Gibbs' Nutcote, the beautiful harbourside home and gardens of the famous author and illustrator. At the property, with its views of sailboats floating in the water, you can join a guided tour of the house and studio or visit the cafe and children’s room. Or spend some time outside exploring the famous children’s author’s enchanting gardens where she was inspired to write her much-loved children's book, The Complete Adventures of Snugglepot & Cuddlepie.

With land that traces the water’s edge at Homebush Bay, Bicentennial Park encompasses 40 hectares of natural parkland in Sydney Olympic Park. The vast, diverse landscape is home to rolling, grassy hills; a human-made lake; and a boardwalk that travels through Badu Mangrove wetlands. There’s also a water play area with fountains and an adventure playground for kids.

With its vast, 123-hectare footprint in St Ives, Ku-ring-gai Wildflower Garden is a diverse landscape full of surprises to discover. There are tall forests, shrublands, ponds, gullies, sandstone outcrops and waterfalls all connected by walking trails. For child-friendly trekking, there’s the Senses Track, or the Banks Track boardwalk that will take you through wetlands for frog, lizard and turtle spotting. For adventurous hikers, there’s the two-hour Mueller Track. After a full day of picnics and walking, stop by the native nursery so you can take a bit of the garden home with you.

Bordered by an 8.4km trail loved by walkers, runners and cyclists, Narrabeen Lagoon is the largest estuary system in the Northern Beaches, and a local’s favourite. The lagoon is tucked just behind Narrabeen’s surf beach and is a haven for wildlife. During a visit you might see swamp wallabies, blue-tongue lizards, possums and a diverse variety of birds. The quiet waters of the lagoon make it a popular spot for amateur anglers, and the waterway is large enough for watersports – sailboats, motorboats and windsurfers all share the space.

Auburn Botanic Gardens is a lovely pocket of beautifully landscaped scenery in Western Sydney. The nine-hectare expanse includes a native garden, rainforest garden, pond, accessible playground, amphitheatre and an aviary. There’s also a fauna reserve with wallabies, kangaroos and emus. The gardens are beautiful all year, but are most famous for the annual Cherry Blossom Festival each August, when the trees burst into a riot of pink Sakura blossoms.

On the southwestern edge of Sydney, the Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan has more than 400 hectares of native plants, lakes and lawns. Kangaroos, wallabies and other native fauna call this lovely landscape home. The garden forms part of the Botanic Gardens of Sydney and is the flagship campus for the Australian Institute of Botanical Science. Explore the park and the trails on self-guided walks, or join a tour to learn about the site's important scientific research.